Fundraising | Document Checklist

Use this list to get organized before you start soliciting funds

Administrative

• IRS Determination Letter (501c3)

• Signed W9

• Recent 990

• Staff Bios/ Resumes

• List of Board Members and Partners

Financial

• Operational Budget

• Actual Program Budget

• Requested Program Budget

• Income statements

• Audited financials

• Grants.gov /login.gov access information

Program

• Mission Statement

• Organization’s History

• Draft Letter of Inquiry

• Logic Model or Program Overview

• Program or Event Description

• Impact Statement

• Case for Support

• Project Plan with Timeline

• Sustainability Plan

• Service Numbers and Demographics

Project Management Overview

A good project management process is necessary if you want to support your team in reaching short and long term goals, and design and deliver excellent programs.

A good process will help keep the team organized and help them to work more efficiently.

A project is defined as an event or an endeavor with a specific beginning and end date. A successful project must be on-time, on budget, and result in deliverables (product, service, or result) as defined by a detailed scope of work.

Examples include: creating a new program, organizing an event, executing a fundraising campaign, or introducing a new membership management system.

A project manager should be assigned to make sure that the process is followed, that the team stays on track, that tasks are completed on time, and that the project stays within budget. There are lots project management tools available, but fundamentally you’ll want to begin with a Project Charter and decide on a simple way to list and track project data.

Use this Project Charter Template to define project objectives, scope, and required resources.

Then choose an application that will allow you to:

• See all tasks, deliverables and deadlines with start and end dates

• Track team member’s tasks and time spent, and project costs

• Share this information with the entire team

As you are designing and executing your plan, be sure to:

• Set SMART goals to develop a realistic project plan. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

• Track Data from the very beginning and throughout the projects life span. You want to be able to evaluate and report on progress, performance, deliverables, time and costs.

• Communicate expectation, progress, and risks and be available to support when necessary.

Project Management Phases

• INITIATE: Project Charter
  summarize justification, deliverables, benefits, risks, budget, milestones and project team

• PLAN: Project Scope
  detail scope, budget, schedule, communication plan, and risk management strategy

• EXECUTE: Project Launch
  undertake tasks, establish tracking protocols and performance indicators, forecast outcomes

• CONTROL: Project Monitoring
  revisit objectives, measure progress, performance, deliverables, time and costs

• CLOSE: Project Reporting
  document the process, results, lessons learned, and report all quantifiable data

Describing Your Nonprofit

Vision: Big Picture
What the community will look like when the work is done

"Your vision statement expresses the impact you hope to make. When writing your vision statement consider “What is the impact I hope to make in 5 years? In 10 years? It should be a big, and almost unattainable goal."

Mission: Action Statement
What we do, who we do it for, and how we do it

"Your mission statement should focus on the why behind your brand. It states the principles of your company and communicates how you are actively meeting your objectives."

Values: Guiding Beliefs
What principles are important to the organization

"Organizational values are the guiding beliefs and principles that provide an organization with purpose and direction. They help nonprofits manage their interactions with the people they serve and other stakeholders."

Values state what is important to the organization, they inform the culture and dictate behavior.

EXAMPLE: DevoCenter Value Statement

We value and promote innovation, professional excellence and compassionate service. We believe that through professional service-learning women will be both inspired and prepared to serve and uplift fellow citizens, and we’re most excited about encouraging deep reflection on love, leadership and learning in our communities

EXAMPLE: Bayhealth Values List

Bayhealth is the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in central and southern Delaware. Its mission is to bring the nation’s best healthcare to the communities it serves, and this is reflected in their core values:

• Compassion: We are kind and caring to everyone we encounter.

• Accountability: Each of us is responsible for our words, our actions, and our results.

• Respect: We value everyone and treat people with dignity and professionalism.

• Integrity: We build trust through responsible actions and honest relationships.

• Teamwork: We achieve more when we collaborate and all work together.

Ten Examples of Company Core Values

• Integrity. Acting with strong ethics is a priority for everyone representing the organization as well as the company’s behavior as a whole.

• Honesty. It’s not just the best policy. It’s a core business practice to act in a transparent, trustworthy manner that earns the respect of colleagues, customers, and the public.

• Fairness. Treating everyone with the common decency we all deserve and expect.

• Accountability. Accepting responsibility for your actions (and inactions) is the ultimate way to build trust internally and externally.

• Promise to Customers. Creating a great customer experience begins with staying true to the words we speak and the bonds we make.

• Diversity and Inclusion. Organizations succeed by bringing different lived experiences and a range of backgrounds into a shared environment where everyone has equal opportunity.

• Learning. No one has all the answers. A culture of humility and continuous learning is a bedrock principle of successful companies.

• Teamwork. When people work together, they can create something greater than themselves as individuals.

• Passion. Having a joy not just for the work itself but also the people around us, so that everyone can be bold, innovative, and creative.

• Quality. Companies are judged by the craftsmanship of their products and services, so the highest standards must be maintained.

Nonprofit Compliance | Organizing Files Online

Here’s a list of documents that should be readily available to board members and prepared before you begin fundraising. Create a shared folder with the following:

Administrative

• Original Incorporation Documents

• Updates/Amendments to the Incorporation (Name or Changes)

• Bylaws (signed by Board Members and dated)

• Conflict of Interest Statement (signed by Board Members and dated)

• 501c3 Application and or Documentation

• IRS Determination Letter

• Solicitation License (if applicable)

• Proof of Lease Agreement/Ownership of Property (if applicable)

• Insurance Certificate

• Certificate of Good Standing

• Board Meeting Minutes

Financial

• Financial Reports

• Operating Budget

• Program Budgets

• All Previous Award Letters

Program

• Staff Resumes

• Calendar of Events

• Scope of Services

• Annual Reports

• Performance Reports

• At least 3 Support Letters (Organization and Program)

• Newsletter and/or Press Releases